The Monster and the Child
by Shadow Star.EXE
Summary: Side story to Secrets of Harmonia. Ghetsis returned to the castle without his wife and has dark plans in store for his son. Bronius, Anthea and Concordia can only watch in horror as the toddler becomes his father's pawn.


_**The Monster and the Child**_

_"Arceus, I am so clever," _Ghetsis thought to himself. _"Out here in Kanto, that bitch is perfectly helpless and lost. There's no food or fresh water on that island. She'll die before anyone can find her. Why bother lowering myself to killing when I'll be a God very soon?"_

He flew higher into the atmosphere, barely glancing down at the islet below him. Just a few minutes ago, he had left his wife and the mother of his son, Catherine, on the islet. He had to get rid of her somehow. The damn woman was getting too headstrong and threatening. How _dare_ she say she was going to take Noah away! Noah was the whole reason he had gone through the tedious courting and marriage in the first place. He didn't give a damn about Catherine. He only cared about the qualities she possessed. Her Pokemon Orphanage in White Forest, with its strong and injured pokemon, were being used to continue building the castle. The ones who could not help build in any way were given to Noah to show him how horrible humans were and how they treated pokemon. She also helped Noah get close to pokemon, teaching him to never be afraid of them and how to communicate with them. As far as Ghetsis was concerned, she made the perfect choice for a woman to bear him a child. Now that she had done so, it was time to get rid of her.

_"I've been too nice to her," _Ghetsis thought as he piloted the helicopter back to Unova. _"I let her stay around for two years and even name the boy. I even hired the nursemaids to raise the boy for her. Then they became friends! She was a queen to my syndicate and how does that bitch repay me? By threatening to take the boy away?"_

He was no longer acknowledging his son by his name anymore. The name Catherine had selected for him was pathetic. Why bother naming the boy at all? The only reason he existed was so Ghetsis could get close to a legendary dragon. He had no other purpose and would know no other life, other than the pain and suffering of pokemon.

Ghetsis had it all planned out. He would have the boy raised around pokemon that had been abused and mistreated by humans. The boy would learn to speak with them and become sympathetic to them. Ghetsis would then say that the only way to help them would be to separate humans from pokemon and make a world for pokemon only. He would ensure the boy became the prince of Team Plasma (and eventually its king) and have a whole syndicate at his disposal.

However, Ghetsis abhored the idea of being a father and he certainly didn't want to call the boy 'Noah' forever. But simply calling him 'the boy' wouldn't be good for appearance. His tool needed some kind of name. He couldn't become a nameless king, after all.

_"From now on, I shall just call him N," _Ghetsis thought. _"A one lettered name, but still a name. It'll suit him fine."_

His plans were being set in motion and no one could stop him now. Anyone who tried would be severely punished.

* * *

Back at the castle, Anthea and Concordia were having a difficult time calming the prince down. Ever since his mother had left and kissed him good bye, Noah had not stopped crying. Concordia tried to sing him to sleep, but Anthea sat in a corner biting her nails. She knew, from experience, that babies and young children were very adept at sensing when things were wrong. And right now, it would seem something was very wrong.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word...Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird..." Concordia sang. This only made Noah cry harder.

"Mama! I want Mama!"

Concordia sighed. "I can't seem to stop his crying. Maybe he's hungry?"

"Are you deaf?" Anthea said warily. "Prince Noah doesn't want anything or anyone except Lady Catherine. Arceus help us all if he never stops crying until Lord Ghetsis and Lady Catherine return."

"Mama!" Noah wailed.

"Perhaps we can distract him somehow...maybe with his mother's precious pokemon?" Concordia thought out loud. She was referring to the Zorua, Daramantian and two Woobats she had brought with her. Noah seemed close to all of them, especially the Zorua. They all had lingering scars from abuse from humans, but they all trusted Catherine and protected Noah as well.

"That's not a bad idea," Anthea replied. "Here, allow me." She held out her arms for Noah and Concordia transferred the toddler to her. Just as she was about to leave the room, Bronius came through the door. He looked upset and Anthea's uneasy feeling grew stronger.

"Lord Bronius, what ails you?"

"Lord Ghetsis has returned," Bronius replied. "He demands that you bring the prince to see him at once."

Concordia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. The little prince has been crying for Lady Catherine non-stop. Is she with him?"

Bronius shook his head and uttered a single cryptic word. "No."

Despite her orders, Anthea held on to Noah even tighter. "Lord Bronius, where is Lady Catherine?"

"I do not know. I have only been told that we three are to bring the prince to Lord Ghetsis immediately."

Concordia's relief turned to fear and Anthea felt a shudder go through her body. Her instincts were right. Something was wrong.

Reluctantly, the goddesses went with Bronius to Ghetsis's private office. Anthea was surprised. No one was ever allowed in Lord Ghetsis's office at any time. Not even the Lady Catherine and certainly not the little prince.

"He is inside," Bronius said in a flat tone. Swallowing her fear, Anthea stepped in first. Concordia followed her and then Bronius last.

"Close the door behind you," Ghetsis said in a demanding tone. Bronius quickly obeyed and Ghetsis sat back. Noah continued to cry, his screams getting louder with volume. "Can't you make him be quiet?" Ghetsis snapped.

"We have tried, Lord Ghetsis," Concordia spoke softly. "The only thing Prince Noah wants right now is Lady Catherine."

"Yes, Catherine..." Ghetsis said thoughtfully. He had been mentally rehearsing a speech to deliver to the only three that knew the truth about Noah's mother. "I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding Catherine."

"MAMA!" Noah screamed. Anthea tried to hush him and Ghetsis cast a disapproving look on his son.

"Catherine is dead," he said without a trace of remourse or sadness. "We arrived in Kanto and the first thing we saw was a pokemon being abused by a group of humans. Catherine tried to interfere and they shot her. I just barely managed to escape to the chopper, but I couldn't do a thing for Catherine."

Shock froze Anthea and Concordia to the place. Bronius groped for a chair and sat down on it, his face almost as white as milk. Ghetsis hurried on with his words. "Noah must never know the truth. He must never learn that his mother has died. Anthea and Concordia, it will be your responsibility to raise him, but I swear..." Ghetsis leaned forward and glared at them. "You must NEVER mention Catherine ever again. The same goes for you, Bronius. The truth would wreck his soul and interfere with the goal of Team Plasma."

"But Lord Ghetsis!" Anthea blurted out. "He's a child! As he grows, he will want to know the truth! He will want to know about his mother and more about you!"

"Not the way I want you to raise him," Ghetsis said, sitting back in his chair. "I cannot be a father to him. I will be much too busy with the responsibilities of Team Plasma. I want him raised, believing he is one with pokemon. He is the key to Team Plasma's goal. For that reason, I will only see him on occasion. It is your duties to ensure he is raised, tutored and brought up with Team Plasma's goal in mind."

Bronius was horrified. So were Anthea and Concordia. Ghetsis was basically saying, "He's my son and I want you to do the raising for me so he can become the next ruler of Team Plasma. But he must never know the truth about his mother and I won't bother to be a part of his life all the time."

"Lord Ghetsis..." Concordia said in a low tone. "Forgive me, my lord, but a child needs his parents. You're all he has left..."

"I just told you, Concordia!" Ghetsis thundered. "I cannot and will NOT be a father to him. From now on, everything is different. He is to be raised believing he has no mother or father! He will only believe what he is shown! As Team Plasma's goal is to liberate pokemon from cruel humans, he is to be shown pokemon that were abused by humans! When he grows up, he will lead Team Plasma to our goal. For that, he must be prepared to deal with the truth and to be dedicated to pokemon only. From now on, his past does not exist. He will go forward with the name N and his reason to be is to become the king of Team Plasma."

Ghetsis's eye took on an evil glint and his eyepatch seemed even more menacing. "And if any of you reveal the truth to him...I can promise you that the deed will not go unpunished. Dismissed!"

Numb with shock and horror, the three caretakers left the office. The little prince had worn himself out from his crying and fell asleep in Anthea's arms. She stroked his back as Concordia turned to Bronius. "Lord Bronius, what should we do?"

"Do as Lord Ghetsis demands..." Bronius spoke. "Or its all our lives that are in danger."

"I cannot believe Lady Catherine is gone..." Anthea said mournfully. "And Lord Ghetsis does not seem the least bit upset. She was his wife, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was..." Bronius said. "Without her, it seems the father has turned into a monster with a child. You two are the only ones the prince has now. Please do not abandon him. He will need you to grow up strong."

"I could never leave him," Concordia said. Anthea nodded, showing she agreed.

"Good. Please take the prince to his room so he can rest," Bronius instructed. The goddesses nodded and went down the hallway of the great castle. Bronius watched them leave and felt a terrible burden settle in his mind.

And he hoped...no, _prayed..._that someday, the truth would be revealed to Noah.

* * *

**This story is an attempt to explain how N's past got so twisted and altered in my fanfic, Secrets of Harmonia (taking place after the flashback in chapter 3). This is where Ghetsis goes from a "concerned husband" to "that goddamn bastard". He's not above threatening the lives of others if it means keeping the truth under wraps. I firmly believe that if a man will go as far as to use his own son for his own greedy purposes, he is capable of anything evil.**

**Once again, I KNOW N's official name is Natural Harmonia Gropius (thank you Captain Anon Obvious who left a review on Secrets of Harmonia). However, Secrets of Harmonia was written BEFORE N's official name was released. And I am not about to go back and change my story to incorperate this ridiculous name.**

**Oh yes, and the final chapter of Secrets of Harmonia will be posted later this month. The exact date I will post it is April 29. Why that day? Well, that's the day I had officially started writing Secrets of Harmonia last year. That will make that brain baby one year old. No other reason why, I just find it neat to have the fanfiction complete on the same day it was started. :D**


End file.
